Chapter 684: Stomping Down With a Single Foot

Runes intertwined with one another, forming a clear image.

This method originated from the Eternal Sect in the Central Heaven and was a special application of The Dao of Runes; even someone as powerful as a Source Demon could not detect it.

The reason the Qingyun Saint Sect was able to withstand wave after wave of Great Demon attacks on the mountain was partly due to this rune-mapping method, which could predict the trajectory of the 'Demons' in advance and make corresponding decisions accordingly.

At this moment, more and more Saint Sect Elders noticed the abnormality, their gazes tightly fixed on the image formed by the intertwining runes.

The main subject in the image was still that giant demon with a terrifying Aura. Its body size exceeded tens of millions of billions of miles, and it grew a pair of black wings, its entire body covered in huge mouths that devoured a massive amount of Devilish Qi every single moment.

Although the giant demon was terrifying, what made the various Elders and the Saint Sect Master even more incredulous was that, at this moment, high above the direction the giant demon was walking, a 'speck' of an insignificant figure had appeared at some unknown time.

Compared to the towering giant demon, this figure could not even be considered insignificant; it was inferior to mere dust.

If the giant demon, striding forward, had not suddenly stopped in its tracks, the Saint Sect Elders probably wouldn't have even noticed that figure.

"That is?"

The Qingyun Sacred Sect Master's thoughts stirred slightly, and the rune-intertwined image rapidly enlarged, the insignificant figure compared to the giant demon growing larger as well.

"Chen Tong?"

The Qingyun Sacred Sect Master was somewhat stunned. After the rune image was magnified, that insignificant figure became clearly visible—it was a young man with his hands clasped behind his back, and the Dharma robe he wore was impressively the 'uniform' Dharma robe worn by the Qingyun Saint Sect's deacons.

The Qingyun Sacred Sect Master had a deep impression of Chen Tong. A thousand years ago, it was precisely because of Chen Tong that the Saint Sect Senior Brother, who had fallen into devilry at that time, was ferreted out.

Later, Chen Tong wanted to go to the Qingyun Institute to serve as a deacon, and the Saint Sect Master had also agreed. After that, he had not heard any special news about this Disciple.

Later on, the Qingyun Sacred Sect Master did not pay attention to this Disciple either. The matter of the Saint Sect Senior Brother falling into devilry was also a blow to him, coupled with the need to stabilize the situation of the Saint Sect.

However, the Saint Sect Master had never imagined that when he saw this Disciple again, it would be at a time like this.

"It is Chen Tong? A Qingyun Institute deacon."

After the rune image was enlarged, the many Elders of the Saint Sect likewise immediately recognized Lin Yuan.

Over the past thousand years, although Lin Yuan had never displayed any particular strength, he had also spoken many insights regarding 'demons'. After repeated practice by the various Elders, they found that it was indeed the case.

Because of this back and forth, many Elders came to know that Chen Tong, the deacon of the Qingyun Institute, had a deep understanding of 'demons', and occasionally they would even visit him to ask questions concerning 'demons'.

"Chen Tong?"

"Why would Chen Tong appear there?"

"What is going on?"

Although the Saint Sect Elders were filled with immense doubt in their hearts, they also knew that Chen Tong's sudden appearance before that giant demon right now was simply too bizarre.

First of all, how did Chen Tong leave the Saint Sect? That giant demon was an incomparable distance away from the Saint Sect. Not to mention that every Disciple leaving the Saint Sect needed to apply in advance, simply crossing such a long distance was extremely incredible in itself.

Secondly, with that terrifying giant demon's strength approaching that of a Source Demon, the Aura it inadvertently radiated alone was enough to suffocate Experts on the level of the Saint Sect Master, yet Chen Tong was standing high above the giant demon with a calm expression, looking down?

For Elders like them, let alone standing there, just getting a little closer would probably result in being eroded by Devilish Qi, suffering heavy injuries, and being on the verge of death.

The numerous Elders looked at each other in dismay, their gazes closely staring at the rune-intertwined image.

Under the breathless watch of all the Elders, that terrifying giant demon within the image was clearly somewhat impatient. The boundless Devilish Qi around it faintly began to boil, sweeping toward the 'speck' of an insignificant figure above.

"Not good."

The Qingyun Sacred Sect Master's heart sank. With that terrifying giant demon's strength, under such a sweeping wave of Devilish Qi, even he would suffer heavy injuries; he was simply no match for it.

The hearts of the other numerous Elders trembled, instinctively projecting themselves into the position of Qingyun Institute deacon Chen Tong.

However.

The next moment.

Everyone saw a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

They saw the insignificant figure looking down from above raise his right leg and gently stomp down toward the terrifying giant demon whose size was tens of millions of billions of miles.

The terrifying giant demon, which originally had an infinitely terrifying Aura, suddenly staggered and retreated several steps backwards. The boundless, boiling Devilish Qi surrounding it that was about to surge upward came to an abrupt halt.

Another stomp.

The towering, terrifying giant demon was directly stomped into the ground, with more than half of its body buried in the earth.

Yet another stomp.

The terrifying giant demon, attempting to struggle to its feet, was once again stomped deep into the underground.

The final stomp.

The terrifying giant demon with a height of tens of millions of billions of miles collapsed limply into the giant pit, its devilish body weakening and on the verge of death.

Only then did the 'speck' of an insignificant figure retract his right leg.

Compared to the terrifying giant demon, at this moment, this insignificant figure was the true titan supporting the heavens and earth, and the terrifying giant demon of tens of millions of billions of miles had simply become an ant beneath his feet.

Dead silence.

The highest hall of the Qingyun Sacred Mountain fell into a dead silence.

All the Elders, including the Saint Sect Master, had their minds completely blanked out.

When many Elders saw Lin Yuan appear above the terrifying giant demon, they had still vaguely realized that this Qingyun Institute deacon was not simple, but they never expected it to be so unimaginably astonishing.

That terrifying giant demon approaching a Source Demon only lasted for four stomps in front of him?

Anyone with eyes could see that Lin Yuan hadn't gone all out at all, nor had he used any lethal moves; he had purely stomped down four times, causing that terrifying giant demon to suffer heavy injuries and be on the verge of death?

This kind of strength?

This kind of strength?

The Qingyun Sacred Sect Master's heart trembled.

The strength of the terrifying giant demon approaching a Source Demon could probably rival Three Realms of Leisure Experts to a certain extent.

And just how strong must Lin Yuan be, who had trampled this terrifying giant demon to death in four stomps?

The Second Realm of Leisure? Or the Third Realm of Leisure?

Even before the great changes in heaven and earth, during the heyday of this world, Experts of the Three Realms of Leisure were extremely rare. Especially the Third Realm of Leisure, which was basically equivalent to the strongest existence beneath the Eternal Sect.

The original founder of the Qingyun Saint Sect had only barely managed to squeeze into the First Realm of Leisure.

The Qingyun Sacred Sect Master took a deep breath and was just about to speak when he suddenly discovered that Lin Yuan within the rune-intertwined image seemed to have sensed something, shifting his gaze to look over toward their side.

"Not good."

The Qingyun Sacred Sect Master's scalp tingled, and without the slightest hesitation, he interrupted the operation of the runes, causing the image to instantly dissipate.

Seeing this, the numerous Elders present felt a sense of relief in their hearts for some unknown reason, as if being gazed upon by Lin Yuan would impose immense pressure upon them.

Devilish Qi permeated the air.

Lin Yuan looked down from above at the dying terrifying giant demon below.

His gaze glanced toward the direction of the Qingyun Sacred Mountain.

"This sense of voyeurism is an investigative secret technique operating on the Foundation of The Dao of Runes?"

Lin Yuan was thoughtful in his heart. This sense of being spied upon was extremely faint, and even someone as powerful as a Source Demon could not feel a shred of it, but Lin Yuan was not a Source Demon; he was an existence far more powerful than a Source Demon.

"A very brilliant means of applying runes."

Lin Yuan evaluated in his heart that even he had not immediately noticed being spied on.

"They probably have already seen me."

Lin Yuan was calm in his heart. The sense of voyeurism originated from the Qingyun Sacred Mountain, and he had not made any concealment when he attacked this terrifying giant demon. At this moment, the Saint Sect Master probably already knew about him.

Although his identity was exposed, Lin Yuan didn't care much. His strength had long since recovered to its peak state, coupled with the opening of ten billion particle worlds, in terms of combat power, this Physical Body was definitely the strongest among his three true self physical forms.

With Lin Yuan's current strength, even before the great changes in heaven and earth, he could run amok arbitrarily, let alone now?

"This demon—"

Lin Yuan looked again at the limp giant demon below.

The giant demon's strength was very strong. Placed in the Chaos Void, it would be an existence on the level of a Great Sage. Moreover, because of the Devilish Qi, it was much harder to deal with than a Great Sage. With the support of boundless Devilish Qi, it was nearly immortal.

Every single stomp Lin Yuan made was enough to trample a Great Sage to death, yet it took four stomps to make this giant demon completely lose its ability to resist.

Of course, this was also because Lin Yuan had not gone all out. He hunted giant demons not to kill the opponent, but to refine their devilish bodies and refine their essential power out, using it as provisions to support the opening of a large number of particle worlds.

Therefore, Lin Yuan acted very carefully when striking, worried that if he wasn't paying attention, he would stomp this giant demon's form and spirit into collapse.

"Come in."

Lin Yuan's thoughts moved slightly, and he immediately transferred this giant demon to one of his own particle worlds.

The Yin and Yang great millstone formed by the inner Chaos Taiji Power began to grind, continuously crushing the giant demon's devilish body over and over again.

Having finished all this, Lin Yuan's figure disappeared from where he was.

The highest hall of the Qingyun Sacred Mountain.

The numerous Elders remained silent, looking at the Saint Sect Master standing above.

"Sect Master, that Senior?"

Finally, an Elder summoned his courage and couldn't help but ask, the way he addressed Lin Yuan also consciously changing to 'Senior'.

As a top-tier force with a Legacy dating back to before the great changes in heaven and earth, the Qingyun Saint Sect definitely had a Foundation, such as Dao Protectors and the like.

But even an Elder with the richest imagination would not dare to associate Chen Tong with a Dao Protector of the Qingyun Saint Sect.

Are you kidding me? If the Qingyun Saint Sect's Dao Protector had such strength, would the Qingyun Saint Sect still be pressed to the point of breathless suffocation by those demons? Would just any random Great Demon attacking the mountain make the entire Saint Sect tremble in fear?

Although Dao Protectors certainly could not easily make a move, if they truly possessed such strength, how could the Qingyun Saint Sect have lived their lives with such caution?

"I do not know either."

The Qingyun Sacred Sect Master said while shaking his head.

He understood very little about Lin Yuan. Now, seeing the other party's strength, he discovered that he had almost no understanding of this Disciple who honestly stayed in the Qingyun Institute serving as a deacon.

"But no matter what, Senior certainly harbors no malice toward our Saint Sect."

The Qingyun Sacred Sect Master thought for a moment and spoke.

"Indeed."

Hearing this, the numerous Elders nodded slightly.

That was true as well. With Lin Yuan's strength, if he truly harbored some kind of malice, the Qingyun Saint Sect would have been gone long ago.

"Then what should we do now?"

Another Elder asked.

Hearing this, the other Elders immediately looked at the Saint Sect Master.

"What should we do?"

The Qingyun Sacred Sect Master let out a soft breath and said with a solemn expression, "Since our Saint Sect has such a Senior holding down the fort, naturally we should go pay our respects immediately."

If they didn't know, that would be one thing.

Now that they knew, if they didn't go take the initiative to pay their respects, no matter how bold the Saint Sect Master was, he wouldn't dare do such a thing.

"Right, let's go pay our respects immediately."

The numerous Elders nodded.

Deep within the Qingyun Institute.

Not long after Lin Yuan returned, he had already completely refined that terrifying giant demon.

The boundless Devilish Qi, after being crushed tens of millions of times, Returning to the Origin and Source, transformed into an extremely pure mass of energy.

"It is enough to support me in opening up sixty million particle worlds."

A smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face.

A demon spirit could provide Lin Yuan with the means to open up hundreds to a thousand particle worlds.

A Great Demon, on the other hand, could provide Lin Yuan with the resource energy to open up hundreds of thousands to millions of particle worlds.

As for this terrifying giant demon, although it still belonged to the Great Demon level, because it was infinitely close to a Source Demon, the help it brought to Lin Yuan was also unprecedented—fully equivalent to the harvest of hunting dozens of Great Demons.

"Furthermore."

Lin Yuan carefully observed that pure mass of energy, faintly sensing an extremely Origin-level Aura from within it.

"Could this Aura be the power of a Source Demon?"

Lin Yuan speculated in his heart. He had never hunted a Source Demon before, but this giant demon was only lacking a tiny bit to step into the rank of a Source Demon, and certain parts of its body had probably already transformed toward that of a Source Demon.

"Unfortunately, I do not have the time to wait for it to step into a Source Demon."

Lin Yuan shook his head slightly. Although the giant demon was only lacking a tiny bit to transform into a Source Demon, wanting to cross this tiny bit would take who knows how long—a few thousand years? Tens of thousands of years? Hundreds of thousands of years? Or even millions of years?

The growth of a demon was certainly much faster than that of a cultivator, but it still required time, especially for critical-level transformations from a Great Demon to a Source Demon—one million years would even be considered a short amount of time.

If Lin Yuan had that kind of time, he would have long since gone to hunt a true Source Demon.

"This Origin Aura has traces of Thirteenth Order power?"

Lin Yuan carefully sensed and came to a conclusion. Thirteenth Order power was very easy to recognize—it stood high above, transcending everything.

A large number of Saint Sect Disciples entered and left the Qingyun Institute every moment.

However, on this very day, a large number of Saint Sect Disciples were politely invited out of the Qingyun Institute.

"What is going on?"

"Why are they making us come out?"

"Exactly, I just exchanged for a secret technique and haven't finished copying it yet."

Many Saint Sect Disciples naturally had objections, but when they saw the Saint Sect Master personally appear outside the courtyard, followed by numerous high-ranking and powerful Elders, they instantly realized that a major event must have occurred.

They all quickly moved away.

"What on earth happened?"

"Why is the Sect Master here too?"

"And many Elders… no, it seems like all the Elders have arrived as well."

"The Sect Master and all the Elders are here? How is this possible?"

Many Disciples had solemn expressions. Only when determining truly major matters of the Saint Sect would the Sect Master and the various Elders gather together, but right now?

Gathered outside the Qingyun Institute?

Could it be that this Qingyun Institute is related to the future survival of the Saint Sect?

Although the various Saint Sect Disciples could not understand, they did not dare to disobey the orders of the Sect Master and the various Elders.

All Disciples evacuated the Qingyun Institute.

The Saint Sect Master steadied his mind and glanced at the numerous Elders behind him.

At this moment, all the Elders also maintained respectful postures. From the rune-intertwined image, they knew just how terrifying the existence they were about to pay respects to was, so naturally, they dared not show the slightest disrespect.

"The 2,638th Generation Sect Master of the Qingyun Saint Sect, along with 456 Elders, pays respects to Senior!"

The Qingyun Sacred Sect Master bowed deeply toward the depths of the Qingyun Institute, saying in a respectful tone.